Aftermath, Chapter 23 - Ten Steps, Ten Months, Ten Years
by Askait Amara
Summary: Okay in this story our lovebirds get their sensual and emotional grooves on. Seriously pro Arizona and Lauren fans, cheers! This one's for you! Hats off to those brave enough to see the connection (heat) and want it to grow into something much more.


The Aftermath, Chapter 23 – Ten Minutes, Ten Months, Ten Years.

If you know them, they're property of Grey's Anatomy. If you don't, they're mine.

Arizona stood at the kitchen sink. She had washed all but one item of crockery from her late morning breakfast with Lauren. The soul holdout was a half full earthenware mug that she instinctively claimed as her own. A dirty dish free kitchen would have to wait. Her priorities shifted to taking time and savoring the smooth robust flavor of her favorite morning beverage while memorizing every aspect of the view from Lauren's window. The satiated messy haired peds surgeon was captivated by the health of the landscape that lay before her. She marveled at the many different shades of green. Seattle had a similar lushness, and as many hatches, but this was the result of tremendous rainfall, not heat.

Arizona was becoming keenly aware of how much she missed the sun and the feel of warmth on her skin. She needed it to thrive. No wonder she loved vacationing as much as she did. The warm rays on exposed flesh were like lasers forcing Vitamin D into depleted cells far too accustomed to the monochrome drear of the upper Northwest. If it weren't for Sofia and the progressive politics of Washington State, she would have left.

Lost in reverence and the vibrancy of the moment, Arizona was surprised when Lauren slid her hands over her shoulders and started to massage gently. She was not startled by her touch; simply taken aback at not having heard her approach. As one might think, Arizona smiled widely and opened herself completely in order to take in all that Lauren had to offer. She leaned backward and relished the sensation of Lauren's strong fingers working their way into sore muscle and soft warm flesh. She husked a throaty moan that begged for more. In typical Lauren fashion, she immediately sought out the place that brought about the most pleasure and slowly yet assertively moved the flat of her thumb around its outer edges before moving inward and assertively procuring release.

As Arizona felt the last morsel of tension drain from her upper body, she griped the side of the sink firmly and reached back slowly with her free hand. Finding her lover's belt buckle, she gently palmed it then slid her down slowly until she landed upon Lauren's most sacred attribute. She could literally see herself pouting in the reflection of the glass as Lauren pulled away slowly. She was about to plead her case for why Lauren should let her touch her when her lover reached around, placed her long fingers upon Arizona's neck and face and silenced her with a kiss.

The sensation of Lauren's lips upon hers comingled with the desire emitting from her kneading fingers. It forced Arizona to accept the fact that Lauren's body wanted something that her mind did not. And as Lauren's mouth hungrily fed, Arizona focused on the sensation of being firmly pressed between the counter and Lauren's pelvis. She knew they needed to stop soon, or she'd never let Lauren go. She forced herself to pull away, and as she did, she caught the most amazing flash of morning light reflecting in her lover's golden amber eyes. She would forever be captivated by the ever-changing hue dancing about Lauren's irises. She would forever close her own and see the way Lauren's smiled when playful, shimmered when aroused, and darkened when challenged. Lauren's eyes were a part of her now; an extension of who she was both physically and emotionally. And as she forced a whispery goodbye, she knew that Lauren could drive twenty miles to work or fly to another continent and their connection would be the same, unsevered and authentic; sexual and penetrating, transcendent and brimming with ardor.

Feeling Lauren's breath as she husked into her ear, "I hope you have an amazing day," caused Arizona's body to shudder and shake, but such reactions were far from ordinary. Lauren's rasp often invoked a physical response from the crystalline-eyed Goddess. It's what happened next that radically altered the moment and tore Arizona from her world of sleep. The last thing she saw before sitting up straight and gasping for air was Lauren dropping to her knees and spreading her long lean fingers around Arizona's taught and distended belly. The words, "I hope our little fellow has an amazing day too," echoed loudly in her head. So loudly, that she could barely hear Lauren ask, "Are you alright, did you have a bad dream?"

Arizona could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "No, everything is fine," she said reaching over to assure her that it was. She knew instantly where they were and why they were there.

"Are you sure? I can get you some water."

"I'm sure, thanks. Everything is fine, I was just startled; that's all."

Arizona could feel Lauren's hand gently caressing her back. She reached over and pulled the gorgeous Southerner down upon her so she could feel the weight of her body and use it for grounding. The pounding in her chest was incredible and she wondered if Lauren could hear. She decided Lauren could. Why else would she be lightly massaging the flesh, bones, and muscle above her left breast?

Sleep came fast and hard after that. Their bodies were too tired to let their minds process the sudden break in slumber. Even a dream as significance as a pregnancy couldn't change the fact that they were exhausted.

Morning rounds started with Lauren and Arizona checking in on Emelia, Jordon and Aiden. All three were going to be all right and were scheduled to meet with their long-term care providers before the day was done. They also checked in on Kennedy and Aziza. The two girls happen to be best friend and both received through and through gunshot wounds. Lauren pondered the coincidence and assumed it had something to do with the bullets. Kennedy was next. She was assisted by Arizona and Lauren as they worked together to quickly stop her bleeding. Once stabilized, Arizona assisted an attendee with Aziza while Lauren closed on her own. After meeting with Aziza, the couple then grabbed coffees to go and checked in on Noah. He was still asleep and remained in critical condition. There was no way to predict his prognosis. They did all they could, given the situation, but he would need several more surgeries before he would ever, walk again—if he ever walked again. After Noah, they looked in on Iley and Miirah who were Arizona's patients-though Lauren had assisted with initial assessments. Iley was unconscious when Arizona repaired her kidney and was asleep during the check in. It would be months before she and Arizona would formally meet. Miirah, was holding her own physically, but Arizona was concerned about her mental state. She was clearly in shock and bordering on catatonic. Her parents were there and she did feel comfortable that they would get her the help she needed. She made a mental note to follow up from Seattle. The last two check-ins of the day were Carly and Grace. Both were Lauren's patients, though Arizona helped with initials assessments and assisted on one. Carly had a several deep wounds on her hands and arms that Lauren guessed occurred while seeking cover. All Carly could remember was her coach grabbing her and pushing her through the bench and the bleacher step and telling her to run. It tugged at both Arizona and Lauren's heartstrings when she offered a toothy grin and squealed, "Hiiiiiiiiii Dr. Lauren. You're back!" After leaving Carly, Lauren met Grace for the first time. Like Iley, she was unconscious during her initial. Lauren knew she'd been heavily medicated and was concerned that the high dosage would slow her recovery. Now awake, she really didn't seem to have any clue as to what was happening around her. Her mom was with her, but Lauren could tell that she was in as bad of shape as her daughter. She made a note in the chart stating, "If possible, a specialist should have at least one conversation with patient and mother before discharge. Trauma is a strange bird, she thought to herself as she wrote the recommendation. Two children can witness the exact same event and process it differently. "The brain is so fascinating," she said to Arizona as they exited Grace's room.

"Yeah," Arizona replied, thinking the exact same thing at the exact same moment.

It was pert near dinnertime when Arizona and Lauren finished briefing Aftercare. They had discussed Dr. Sheldon's invitation to attend the staff debriefing, but neither had the energy to attend. Within seconds they agreed to takeout and Netlix.

On the way out, they crossed paths with Dr. Sheldon. They were relieved she didn't ask about the debriefing and taken aback when she made a point of repeating her offer for employment. Like before, they thanked her, but unlike before, Lauren asked if she could contact her later in the week to discuss the details.

As Dr. Shelden rattled off times that would work best, Arizona allowed her mind to race forward ten steps, ten months, and ten years. What was Lauren thinking? Did this mean Lauren might stay stateside awhile, rather than take a field position on a MERC in Syria? Would they eventually live in the same city, or together? Would they start a family, like in her dream?

Once home, Lauren busied herself getting the takeout onto plates. She would have liked Arizona's first visit to her cousin's restaurant to last longer than it did, but at least she got to meet Lisa who knew that they were First Responders because "Auntie Caroline" had told her. She made a point of thanking them without opening a conversation about the shooting then handed them a To Go bag with meals she'd prepared herself.

The first item Lauren pulled was a plate full of freshly made peanut butter cookies with fork prints. She couldn't help but chuckle. They were her favorite and Lisa knew it. They used to make them together as kids and the sight and smell conjured absolute joy. She placed them on the table and noticed fresh flowers, a bottle of wine, and a card that wasn't there when she left that morning. She knew immediately who they were from. Her mom often left such surprises, it was one of the reasons she never removed the key from underneath the rock out front. She loved coming home from long trips and finding goodies placed about. She smiled and slowly reached for the card.

Dear Lauren and Arizona—

Thank you both for what you've done for our community. You are amazingly talented doctors, both of you, and I couldn't be more proud.

Arizona, it has been an absolute pleasure meeting you. How I wish it had been under different circumstances. Please visit me the next time you're in town. I want to hear all about your climb.

Lauren, I'm looking forward to our dinner, Tuesday. Come hungry!

Love, C

Lauren looked up at Arizona who was heading toward her with two glasses of water. It occurred to her that her feelings for Arizona would continue to grow and that nothing about this scared her, caused her to pause, or made her want to decrease speed. She released a throaty exhale laced with adoration and stared in awe.

The look upon Lauren's face spoke volumes. Arizona felt the blood charge to her cheeks and knew exactly what Lauren was thinking. She felt it as much as she sensed it. She quickly put the glasses of water on the table and pulled Lauren into her arms. She held her close and spoke from her heart. Without hesitation or reservation she said the words and heard them reciprocated. It felt right to tell Lauren she loved her. She did love her. And when Lauren said the same, she knew in her bones it was true. What astounded her even more was the energy that danced between them once their truth was acknowledged and shared. It was as if there was an entity born in the overlapping space that was now Arizona and Lauren, two women in love.

To Be Continued…..

It's hard to imagine that an affair can set the course for something everlasting, but there are rare occasions when love has its way, regardless of the situation two, three, or four people find themselves in. – Askait Amara


End file.
